"The president has not been seen at his office for days, missing two cabinet meetings and cancelling a visit to the holy city of Qom."

Apparently this is part of a power struggle between the often-incendiary head of state and Iran's Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khameini. In light of the revolutions witnessed recently across the Mideast, this kind of power-wrangling would seem to leave Iran vulnerable to a revolution of its own. One Iranian MP who wished to remain anonymous said:

"I hope one side yields at the end - otherwise it will move the country toward unprecedented instability that will certainly suck the current Arab uprisings into the country."

The Westboro Baptist Church is best-known for picketing military funerals and gay pride gatherings with "God Hates Fags" and other slogans deemed offensive and shocking by most who see them. They're led by the incendiary Fred Phelps, who burned a Koran last September. WBC and Phelps always seem to be looking for new ways to push the envelope when it comes to hate.